Can you imagine learning something without any senses? Personally, I don’t know how to do it.
On the day that everything was covered in the white snow, I curated a lesson for Choreographies for Phantom Limbs on pressing topics such as immigration, racial discrimination and social inclusion together with Amy Pickles. Multiple senses were used as media for communications exchanged among educators and students.
We started by moving our bodies around the classroom along a playlist of the students’ favourite songs. Songs after songs, we began to recognise one another. We smelled some of us as ones passed nearby. We smiled and laughed at one another. I think we learn how to socialise with strangers, at least.
Then, we watched two short films by Prapat Jiwarangsan together. We heard genuine voices and watched moving images narrating personal stories of a Japanese boy and girls whose roots are related to Thai immigrant parents. I think we learnt stories that we may never know, at least.
At the end, we reflected on our accumulated experiences and discussed about them among us. Everyone seemed enthusiastic to talk to one another. Two students shared their personal experiences regarding racial discrimination in the Dutch society, which was my hidden agenda. It gave me the confidence to start calling myself a curator. So, I think not only that the students learnt from what I have selected for them but I also learnt a spectrum of what curating can be.
As I have been researching on immersive installations, I want to ask how can we use a multi- sensorial experience as a means to reflect critically on our society instead of being another instagram-friendly exhibition?
On the day that everything was covered in the white snow, I curated a lesson for Choreographies for Phantom Limbs on pressing topics such as immigration, racial discrimination and social inclusion together with Amy Pickles. Multiple senses were used as media for communications exchanged among educators and students.
We started by moving our bodies around the classroom along a playlist of the students’ favourite songs. Songs after songs, we began to recognise one another. We smelled some of us as ones passed nearby. We smiled and laughed at one another. I think we learn how to socialise with strangers, at least.
Then, we watched two short films by Prapat Jiwarangsan together. We heard genuine voices and watched moving images narrating personal stories of a Japanese boy and girls whose roots are related to Thai immigrant parents. I think we learnt stories that we may never know, at least.
At the end, we reflected on our accumulated experiences and discussed about them among us. Everyone seemed enthusiastic to talk to one another. Two students shared their personal experiences regarding racial discrimination in the Dutch society, which was my hidden agenda. It gave me the confidence to start calling myself a curator. So, I think not only that the students learnt from what I have selected for them but I also learnt a spectrum of what curating can be.
As I have been researching on immersive installations, I want to ask how can we use a multi- sensorial experience as a means to reflect critically on our society instead of being another instagram-friendly exhibition?
